VIPS Letter to the President on Israel and Iran

 "We believe that comments by senior American officials, you included, reflect misplaced trust in Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu.

Actually, the phrasing itself can be revealing, as when CIA Director Panetta implied cavalierly that Washington leaves it up to the Israelis to decide whether and when to attack Iran, and how much “room” to give to the diplomatic effort.

On June 27, Panetta casually told ABC’s Jake Tapper, “I think they are willing to give us the room to be able to try to change Iran diplomatically … as opposed to changing them militarily.”

Similarly, the tone you struck referring to Netanyahu and yourself in your July 7 interview with Israeli TV was distinctly out of tune with decades of unfortunate history with Israeli leaders. 

“Neither of us try to surprise each other,” you said, “and that approach is one that I think Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to.” You may wish to ask Vice President Biden to remind you of the kind of surprises he has encountered in Israel.

Blindsiding has long been an arrow in Israel’s quiver. During the emerging Middle East crisis in the spring of 1967, some of us witnessed closely a flood of Israeli surprises and deception, as Netanyahu’s predecessors feigned fear of an imminent Arab attack as justification for starting a war to seize and occupy Arab territories."  VIPS

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I am no longer a member of VIPS but chose to sign this at their suggestion.  pl

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/080310c.html

Comments

[Norbert M. Salamon]

Excellent analysis! Such views were expressed by others, non-ex-members of the USA Intelligence Community.

The only point missing is advising the President that the NATIOANL INTEREST OF THE USA, and the OVERWHELMING INTEREST OF THE WORLD ECONOMY and WELL BEING, demand that he inform the Israeli Government that in case of appearant attempt by Israel to dispatch bombers against IRan, the USA Perisan Golf area assets are instructed to eliminate any and all such Israeli Planes.

[J]

Colonel,

Sadly I don't think anything any of us do is going to change Israel's errant intentions short of a detonation on Bibi's doorstep thereby wiping out his decision making capabilities. As for our White House and Congress, they have both shown themselves as 'Occupied Territory' who put what a foreign power named Israel wants ahead of the needs and best interests of their own nation our beloved U.S..

[Patrick Lang]

j

What would you do, nothing? pl

[SAC Brat]

Thank you for supporting this letter.

Do you consider yourself a "detriments to the dignity of the empire"?

[Patrick Lang]

SAC brat

I hope so. My loyalty is to the Republic. pl

[David Habakkuk]

Good to see both you and Phil Giraldi signing the VIPS open letter.

In addition to the VIPS piece, Antiwar.com this morning linked to a piece published on the PBS 'Frontline' site by Muhammad Sahimi, who is apparently a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Southern California, entitled 'The Drumbeats of War with Iran are getting Louder'. As the course of what seemed a very sober analysis, the following paragraphs appeared:

"From a piece recently published by The Arab nations of the Persian Gulf have also gotten into the act of advocating war with Iran. Yousef al-Otaiba, ambassador to the United States from the United Arab Emirates, recently told neoconservative Washington Times reporter Eli Lake,

"'I think it's a cost-benefit analysis [when it comes to attacking Iran]. I think despite the large amount of trade we do with Iran, which is close to $12 billion ... there will be consequences, there will be a backlash and there will be problems with people protesting and rioting and very unhappy that there is an outside force attacking a Muslim country; that is going to happen no matter what. If you are asking me, "Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear Iran?" my answer is still the same: "We cannot live with a nuclear Iran." I am willing to absorb what takes place at the expense of the security of the U.A.E.'

"Now, why a country that is benefiting immensely from Iran, that has absorbed thousands of educated Iranians, and that has purchased billions of dollars worth of the most modern weapons, feels threatened by a nation that is surrounded on three sides by U.S. forces is beyond my comprehension.

"That is not all. On June 5, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia reportedly told French Defense Minister Hervé Morin, 'There are two countries in the world that do not deserve to exist: Iran and Israel.' This statement was reported by Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro, who said that it was confirmed by two sources from diplomatic and military circles.

"Almost simultaneously, the Times of London reported that Saudi Arabia has practiced standing down its air defense systems to allow Israel to use its air space for an attack on Iran.

"I believe that King Abdullah probably did not even mention Israel at all (Israel never raised a protest in response to the reported statement). The Arab nations of the Persian Gulf, which rely on the United States and France for everything, have no issue with Israel, despite their rhetoric. It is Iran with which they have a problem. This is, of course, not new. It goes back decades, even centuries. These nations also resented the military power of Iran during the Shah, and provided $50 billion to Iraq to continue its war with Iran in the 1980s.

"The danger in such reckless statements, however, is that they provide ammunition for those in Washington who want war. They can claim that it is not just Israel that feels threatened by Iran and its (nonexistent) nuclear weapon program -- 'The Arabs feel the same way.'"

(See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/07/the-drumbeats-of-war-with-iran-are-getting-louder.html.)

How far is this a realistic assessment, how far one based upon acceptance of questionable information or outright disinformation?

[jr786]

I don't know how many times I've been lectured with: "Israel is the man and America is the donkey."

How many hours of patient agrument against? You have to laugh sometimes.

[J]

Colonel,

Heck no, do everything in our personal powers to stop the insanity. It's just I don't think they want to listen to anything or anyone who isn't telling what 'they want to hear'. The actions of both the Congress and White House appears that they have closed their minds and ears to anything else but Bibi's wretched echos.

[J]

Colonel,

The only 'option' I could think of to wake up the Congress and White House is for people to raise hell with their state representatives/senators/governors about the 'dual loyalty' appearance of Members of Congress and how detrimental to the States and Local Communities their 'dual loyalty' behavior is. Maybe throw in the 'Treason' card regarding their behavior and their listening to bought off individuals like Hagee and crew, would immediately get the attention of state legislators/governors regarding the very negative effects of Congress's dual loyalty behaviors.

Iran as it stands is no threat to our U.S.. And we the U.S. citizenry will not allow our 'dual loyality' politicians to drag us into another errant war that serves no U.S. purpose.

You have any other suggestions?

[J]

Colonel,

Just a question, but why are you no longer a member of VIPS? Time factors? Just curious.

[Patrick Lang]

j

I am too much of an anarchist to belong to anything other than the Army for very long. pl

[Norbert M. Salamon]

Interesting from HAARETZ:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iran-official-we-have-obtained-the-s-300-missile-system-1.305954

[Robert]

Colonel,

You and your associates at VIPS are to be commended for this effort. However, I suspect with respect to the White House, election and funding considerations will trump all. Hopefully other relevant actors both here and abroad will take your viewpoint into consideration.

[VietnamVet]

Colonel,

This is insanity. To bomb the nuclear sites in Iran, Israel has depend on American acquiescence for Iraqi over-flights and Persian restraint, like not closing the Straits of Hormuz or unleashing the dogs of war on Israel’s borders Yet, the basic justification for the strikes is that the Ayatollahs are bunch of wild eyed fanatics. You can’t have it both ways unless you are insane.

What is even worse is that most experts agree that conventional bunker busters are ineffective against deep underground strengthened bunkers. The only weapons that will work are nuclear. To collapse the bunkers you have to kick up radioactive dirt into the atmosphere. Millions will be killed by the downwind fallout. Mutual Assured Destruction (M.A.D). To believe that retaliation will not reach America is crazy.

[Patrick Lang]

robert

doubtful. pl

[Castellio]

I'm curious, Colonel, will the open letter get to its intended recipient? How well informed is the top dude?

[Thomas]

This effort is very much worthwhile because it removes the 'if we only knew" excuse.

[Charles I]

bravo to one and all.

Surely it doesn't really matter what is destroyed in Iran. So long as the shit flies and the pot boils, all is well.

Pat, .yYou're mighty socially committed anarachist given all you tilt at - I'd like to write "mon colonel" here, but you're only your own, and as a civvy, I daren't,

[SD]

Those rushing to this war seem incapable of understanding the law of unintended consequences.

--
A poem by W. H. Auden, called "September 1, 1939." The first five lines of the poem go this way:

"I sit in one of the dives
On Fifty-Second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:"

To me the mendacity continues to this millenium.

Former centcom commander Abizaid stated "I believe that we have the power to deter Iran, should it become nuclear."

He continued "There are ways to live with a nuclear Iran," Abizaid said "Let's face it, we lived with a nuclear Soviet Union, we've lived with a nuclear China, and we're living with (other) nuclear powers as well."

In '79 Carter could have turned the Dasht-e-Kevir desert into so much glass if he wanted to. The mad mullahs of Qom are no Third Reich.

[Jackie]

Pat,
If my memory serves me correctly, and I'm not swearing on it, wasn't VIPS put together in late 2002 or early 2003? I seem to recall a very similar letter sent to Bush before the Iraq invasion because VIPS thought that was a really bad idea.

[MRW]

Everybody, send the link to this letter to the comments section on whitehouse.gov. Upper right-hand corner. And vary the hours. A call to 202-456-1111 wouldn't hurt either.

[Lysander]

Col Lang,

If you had to give a percentage estimate, what would you guess are the chances the United States ends up launching a large scale attack on Iran? Either on its own, or following an Israeli attack.

I certainly hope it is low, but...
Thank You.

[graywolf]

After wading thru all the BS - bad Israel, rational mullahs, intelligence professionals grinding an ax, inside-beltway careerist bickering, war criminal Cheney, etc., etc., the simple question is?
Is the US a safer, or more dangerous place if Iran has a nuclear weapon?

[Patrick Lang]

Lysander

I dare not say. God does not speak to me. pl

[WP]

Col. Lang,

I would like to join in Lysander's question, and add a query of the chances of Israel going it alone?

Also, it does not seem any US involvement seems imminent because the carriers are not in any unusual position. http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html